China hails Iran-US positive efforts
September 30, 2013, 10:26 am

Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only [Getty Images]

China views the recent development in US-Iran relations as a positive step for peace in the Middle East, says Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei.

“We have noticed the effort that both the United States and Iran have recently made to improve their relationship,” said Hong at a regular press conference in Beijing.

President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a historic telephone conversation on Friday, the first leaders of their countries to speak since the Tehran hostage crisis more than three decades ago.

China said that this thaw in relations was conducive to advancing the political process for the settlement to the Iranian nuclear issue.

“This is positive for maintaining and promoting regional peace and stability,” Hong said.

Beijing has long opposed coercion in dealing with Tehran’s nuclear programme, stressing on dialogue and a negotiated settlement.

“We have played a constructive role in seeking a comprehensive, lasting and appropriate solution to the Iranian nuclear issue so as to uphold the international non-proliferation regime and peace and stability in the Middle East,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

China is part of the P5+1 international dialogue with Iran, which also includes Britain, France, Russia, the United States and Germany.

Beijing is also Tehran’s largest trading partner and is one of the key importers of Iranian oil, and holds a critical stake in the country’s future, dependent as it is on the oil rich country for its energy security.

Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to “make constructive efforts on advancing the Iranian nuclear talks” in a meeting with President Rouhani in Bishkek earlier this month.

While Rouhani had said that, “Iran hopes that China could continue to play a constructive role on the issue”.

Major Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons through its nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is for civilian purposes only.

57 founding members, many of them prominent US allies, will sign into creation the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Monday, the first major global financial instrument independent from the Bretton Woods system.

Representatives of the countries will meet in Beijing on Monday to sign an agreement of the bank, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. All the five BRICS countries are also joining the new infrastructure investment bank.

The agreement on the $100 billion AIIB will then have to be ratified by the parliaments of the founding members, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing in Beijing.

The AIIB is also the first major multilateral development bank in a generation that provides an avenue for China to strengthen its presence in the world’s fastest-growing region.